Meet Oliver

As you can imagine, I haven’t had a great deal of time to sit down and write much for this post. I’ve been recovering from labor, we’ve had family and friends visiting, and we’re getting the hang of our new sleep “routine” — all thanks to this truly sweet baby boy that arrived exactly one week late on the afternoon of November 18th weighing in at a healthy 8 pounds 15 ounces. We named our son Oliver Stephen Schick (we simply liked the name Oliver, and Stephen is my Dad’s name) and for the first week or so after bringing him home, I couldn’t look at any of the photos our doula took without being truly overwhelmed with emotion. I think it’ll still take some time to process that day and the experience of labor, how incredibly supportive Sam was, and how incredibly hard it all was. I can look back at photos now and find myself doing so during Oliver’s late night feedings or when I have a spare moment to lie down on the couch. I can tell he’s changing already — his cheeks and arms not quite as chubby — and we’re spending lots of time snuggling and rocking him, and trying to notice it all.

The things people tell you when you’re pregnant about not being able to prepare for labor are, as it turns out, true. I still gave it a real go, packing a hospital bag with everything from a heating pad and ginger candies to birth books and energy bars. The day we were heading home and I was getting things ready for Sam to bring to the car, I chuckled as I stared into the bag — the thought of me taking a pause from pushing to consult some of my notes from birth class made me smile. I didn’t touch a thing in that bag, choosing instead to wear the ill-fitting hospital gown for our entire stay, and eating cottage cheese and breakfast burritos from the hospital cafeteria. Oh and that ice cold apple juice! But everyone was right: there is no way to tell what you’ll need, how you’ll feel, and how it will all turn out. I think I probably knew that deep down, but having those ginger candies and birth books made me feel as if I was doing something right.

Arriving home with Oliver for the first time was surprisingly emotional for me. The house wasn’t how we normally leave it, and staring at the living room brought back memories of the hours of painful contractions and moving furniture around to find a comfortable place to labor (it turns out I did a lot of the hard work at home, arriving to the hospital already 8 centimeters dilated). Once we unloaded the car and got settled in, Sam helped bring some order to things around the house and his sister Christa brought us over a hot dinner. We wanted to crack open a bottle of champagne but I think both realized we wouldn’t make much of a dent in it, so we made tea and cranked up the heat instead.

We all slept in our bedroom that night and woke early the next day (after many wakings that night), the first full day as a new family in our own house. I wish I could remember what we did that day, but time all seems to mash together into one long chunk peppered with meals from friends, Sam’s scrambled eggs, many cups of tea, hot showers, a trusty white noise machine, short naps, eggnog, and records in the living room. Sam is already a natural Dad — as I knew he would be. He’s been reading Phillip Larkin and The Odyssey to Oliver, singing him elaborate made up songs, and soothing him like a pro. I look at him and feel so lucky to be doing this together, and I look at Oliver realizing that right now he has no idea what a selfless, cool Dad he has.

When I said earlier that there’s really no way to prepare for labor or the experience of having your first child, that’s certainly true. So all you can do, really, is trust in yourself and the things you’ve put into place. I guess that’s all we can ever do with new endeavors or adventures, isn’t it? And once you do that, you settle into it, hope for the best, and try to envision it all. For Thanksgiving this year, we joined a big group of friends and all sat at a long, communal table sharing dishes we each contributed and turkey that our friend Natalie worked hard on. There was a true abundance of food, two other babies there besides Oliver, warmth and good conversation. I had a hard time eating my meal as I kept thinking about the occasion and what it meant: coming together and giving thanks. We had talked so much about baby Sprout for almost a year … and here he was. Here was Oliver. Here we were. We couldn’t have prepared for any of it, but we’d hoped so hard for it all.

I'm so proud of you! You did it! He's beautiful and he's here! I have no advice, only a big hug from over here because I am feeling all these things, the hope and the processing and the wowing, even months after our baby came. So surreal and bewildering!

Awe, it's all so sweet! Congratulations on birthing your sweet boy (and getting to the hospital in very active labor!). I hope you enjoy this holiday month with your new family, snuggling, resting, and absorbing as much as you can. (And I'm totally with you on the cold apple juice by the way:)

Beautiful. Congratulations. I giggled when I read the part about you packing the bag. With our first, I packed a novel and some magazines, thinking I'd have time to do some reading after the baby was born. As you now know, my husband and are were far too busy just looking at this new wonder (who, by the way is about to turn 18). Enjoy him.

Sarah

December 4, 2015

Hi Megan!

I have been reading your blog for quite some time but have never posted a comment. I just couldn't not comment today when I read your latest post. What a beautiful baby boy, I am so happy that you are both well and enjoying your journey together. Congratulations! I have 4 little ones and the time goes by incredibly fast, live in the moment as much as possible and savor those snuggly newborn baby days!

susan hirsch

My first blog post after Murdo was born came pretty much the exact same way - after a 5am feeding when I probably should've gone back to sleep instead. You're so right - nothing can prepare you for any of it. The labor, the recovery, the first days home, the new way of life for everyone... lately I've been thinking about those first couple of months when time just ran together and I actually started missing it, because it really is such a precious time. So I know you're hearing it a lot but I can't help but join in the chorus: soak it all up, mama. And congrats again - you are a beautiful family! xo

The miracle of life just never gets old. He's so perfect, so beautiful. Wishing you warmest congratulations and joy. I remember so many of those same emotions after my firstborn. Just love hearing about how you are soaking in those wonderful first days.

Mary

December 4, 2015

Oh, my goodness - he is so very sweet! Those little lips! That chin! The chubb! I am so happy for you - the newborn days are such a special, hard, beautiful time and it goes by SO FAST. Wishing you a healthy recovery and plenty of naps. <3

Patty

December 4, 2015

Honey it doesn't matter that you couldn't read your notes from a birthing class. You achieved a perfect goal - you had a beautiful baby and your life will never be the same again - only better. You will see things you take for granted through Oliver's eyes and you will watch in wonderment at everything. I have a needlepoint on my wall that says: Cleaning and scrubbing can wait till tomorrow for baby's grow up we've learned to our sorrow. So quiet down cobwebs, dust go to sleep, I'm rocking my baby and babies don't keep." Enjoy that little bundle and forget about everything else! The baby I did that for is now 41 and I would give anything to go back and start all over again.

megang

December 5, 2015

Oh goodness, well now I am crying Patty. Thank you so much for this comment. Maybe I needed it today as I'm trying to tackle laundry and emails in between Oliver's naps -- maybe these emails can wait. Thank you for taking the time to leave such a sweet, meaningful comment. It sounds like your 41 year old son or daughter is very lucky to have you as a mom. ~Megan

Erin

Carole

December 4, 2015

What a truly beautiful baby. Mommy and Daddy look beautiful, too. Becoming parents plants something wonderful in the heart that blooms upon the face. Congratulations! Wishing you sleep as I can tell you have already been granted joy.

Heather

mcs3000

Aileen Foan

December 5, 2015

like everyone else, I imagine, I have been checking every day and am so happy to meet Oliver. He looks just beautiful....
Patty's poem was an inspiration to me - and I have a 41 year old son too and a 36 year old daughter.
I do enjoy your blog, so much.

Teresa

December 5, 2015

I am so, so happy for you and it's true: you can prep to your heart's content but can't foresee what will be important to you until you get there. Oliver is a gift and a treasure, and you need to frame that picture of Sam holding him. That's your whole world right there.

Congratulations Megan! What a full and loved life he's about to have :) Seeing these pictures just fills.me.up. I have to say, this really got me, "So all you can do, really, is trust in yourself and the things you’ve put into place. I guess that’s all we can ever do with new endeavors or adventures, isn’t it? And once you do that, you settle into it, hope for the best, and try to envision it all." <--It's just so spot on about life. The older I get, the more I recognize that I just have to trust myself. That I can try to prepare and prepare, and then I really do have to...let go.

Kate

December 6, 2015

Oh how wonderful! I've been eagerly checking your blog to see if the baby came and am so happy to hear about Baby Oliver. The first few weeks are an intense, wild, crazy, wonderful, love filled ride. Be kind to yourself and try to let all the other stuff (like chores) go for a while. Congratulations!

Beth

December 8, 2015

Megan - Oliver is beautiful - congratulations to you and Sam. I have followed your blog for over a year now and am so happy for you! Amazing how you can feel connected to someone you've never met or corresponded with. When my 3rd child was born, just a little over 16 years ago, I still remember another mother from our church seeing him with her small children for the first time. She said "Look at him; fresh from God" It still chokes me up. Children bless your lives in the most amazing ways - enjoy every minute!

Labor is truly amazing and life-changing. I cried in every shower I took after my oldest was born for weeks - why the shower, I don't know! Just didn't have the words for that experience maybe, which is what I felt like you were writing about.

Nickie

megang

Congratulations, Megan! We have some friends in common, so I've been following you for a while now. We're also due with our first child in early February. This post was so sweet and heartfelt, and reminds me to stay grounded and embrace the unknown. Congratulations again on the safe arrival of sweet Oliver. And Merry Christmas to your new family.

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Glimpses of Spring

January 5, 2017

We returned home from San Francisco on New Years Eve just in time for dinner, and craving greens -- or anything other than baked goods and pizza (ohhhh San Francisco, how I love your bakeries. And citrus. And winter sunshine). Instead of driving straight home, we stopped at our co-op where I ran in for some arugula, an avocado, a bottle of Prosecco, and for the checkout guys to not-so-subtly mock the outlook of our New Years Eve: rousing party, eh? They looked to be in their mid-twenties and I figured I probably looked ancient to them, sad even. But really, there wasn't much sad (or rousing, to be fair) about our evening: putting Oliver to bed, opening up holiday cards and hanging them in the kitchen, and toasting the New Year with arugula, half a quesadilla and sparkling wine. It wasn't lavish. But it's what we both needed. (Or at least what we had to work with.)
Since then, I've been more inspired to cook lots of "real" food versus all of the treats and appetizers and snacks the holidays always bring on. I made Julia Turshen's curried red lentils for the millionth time, a wintry whole grain salad with tuna and fennel, roasted potatoes, and this simple green minestrone that I've taken for lunch this week. Determined to fit as many seasonal vegetables into a bowl as humanly possible, I spooned a colorful pesto on top, as much for the reminder of warmer days to come as for the accent in the soup (and for the enjoyment later of slathering the leftover pesto on crusty bread).

March 28, 2014

It turns out shopping for wedding dresses is nothing like they make it appear in the movies. Or at least it hasn't been for me. Angels don't sing. Stars don't explode. Relatives don't cry. There isn't a sudden heart-stopping moment that this is, in fact, "the one." To be honest, I always knew that I wasn't the kind of gal for whom angels would sing or stars would explode but I did think I'd have some kind of moment where I could tell I'd found the best dress. Instead, my mom flew into town and we spent three (yes, three!!) days shopping for dresses, and since then I've been back to the stores we visited -- and I'm more undecided than ever. Tomorrow morning I'll return with my friend Keena to try and tie this business up once and for all. Cross your fingers.

May 1, 2013

When I was single and living alone in the Bay Area, I made virtually the same thing for dinner each night. I ate meals quickly while in front of the computer. Or even worse: the television. This most often included what I call "Mexican Pizzas" which were basically glorified quesadillas baked in the oven until crispy. Sometimes, if I was really feeling like cooking, I'd whip up a quick stir-fry with frozen vegetables from Trader Joe's or a mushroom frittata using pre-sliced mushrooms. Mostly, though, it was Mexican Pizzas -- a good four or five nights a week. Today, thankfully, dinner looks a lot different. Meals in general look a lot different. How would I explain that difference? I think that ultimately how we feel about our life colors how we choose to feed ourselves and the importance that we place on preparing our own meals.

April 7, 2016

Today was 75 degrees in Seattle and it seemed the whole city was out and about drinking iced coffee in tank tops and perhaps not working all that hard. When we have a hit of sunshine like this in April (or, really, any time of the year), we're all really good at making excuses to leave the office early -- or, simply, to "work from home." I just got back from LA last night, unpacked in a whirlwind this morning, and took Oliver to meet up with three friends from our parents group at the zoo. The only other time I'd been to the Seattle zoo was once with Sam a few years ago when we arrived thirty minutes before closing and ended up doing a whirlwind tour -- sprinting from the giraffes to the massive brown bear to the meerkat.
The visit today was much different: we strolled slowly trying to avoid the spring break crowds and beating sun. I managed to only get one of Oliver's cheeks sunburned, and he even got in a decent nap. A success of an afternoon, I'd say. Coming home I realized we didn't have much in the fridge for lunch -- but thankfully there was a respectable stash of Le Croix (Le Croix season is back!) and a small bowl of this whole grain salad I made right before I left town. It's the kind of salad that's meant for this time of year: it pulls off colorful and fresh despite the fact that much of the true spring and summer produce isn't yet available. And for that reason, I make a few versions of it in early spring, often doubling the recipe so there's always the possibility of having a small bowl at 1 p.m. while the baby naps in the car seat, one cheek sunburned, windows and back door open -- a warm breeze creeping into the kitchen.

June 24, 2016

On Monday our little family of three is headed to the airport at 6 am to board our first with-baby cross-country trip. We'll be visiting Sam's family in New Jersey for a few days, then renting a car and driving over to meet up with my family at my mom's lake house in the Adirondacks. Sam's younger sister and her kids have yet to meet Oliver; my grandpa has yet to meet him, and Oliver has yet to take a dunk in a lake, see a firefly, or spend quality time with energetic dogs -- of which there will be three. A lot of firsts. This week my family has been madly texting, volunteering to make certain meals or sweets on assigned days while we're at the cabin and it got me thinking about really simple, effortless summer desserts -- in particular, ones that you can make while staying in a house with an unfamiliar kitchen and unfamiliar equipment and still do a pretty bang-up job. I think fruit crisp is just that thing.